Bin Tian

Bin Tian, Ph.D., is a Professor and Program Co-Leader in the Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program at The Wistar Institute’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center. He also serves as Director of the Center for Systems & Computational Biology. His interdisciplinary research integrates molecular biology, functional genomics, and computational approaches to study RNA-level gene regulation, particularly alternative polyadenylation (APA) and its roles in cancer and immunity.

Dr. Tian earned his B.S. in biochemistry from East China University of Science and Technology and his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. He completed postdoctoral training in bioinformatics and genomics at Johnson & Johnson. He led a research group at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School from 2003 to 2020, where he became a tenured professor in 2014, before joining The Wistar Institute.

His research focuses on:

• Mechanisms of cleavage and polyadenylation (CPA) and alternative polyadenylation (APA)
• Early transcriptional termination (ETT) and its role in gene regulation and cancer immunotherapy
• Spatial control of mRNA metabolism via alternative 3'UTRs, including translation-independent ER association (TiERA)
• Secretion-coupled APA (SCAP) in B cell differentiation and humoral immunity
• Development of CPA inhibitors (CPAi) as anti-cancer therapeutics
• Bioinformatics tools such as PolyA_DB, APAlyzer, and MAAPER for APA analysis

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on the functional consequences of APA across biological systems, particularly in cancer vulnerability, immune cell regulation, and subcellular mRNA targeting. His work bridges computational modeling with experimental validation, often leveraging single-cell and long-read sequencing technologies. A recurring theme is the therapeutic potential of modulating RNA processing, especially through CPA inhibition and CRISPR-based APA regulation.

Dr. Tian leads an active research lab comprising postdoctoral fellows, predoc trainees, and research staff, fostering training and innovation in RNA biology. His lab has developed widely used databases and software tools that support the broader genomics community.

He is actively involved in grant-funded research aimed at understanding fundamental gene expression mechanisms and translating these insights into novel cancer and immune therapies. His work on CPA inhibitors and antisense oligonucleotides highlights a strong commitment to therapeutic development.

Dr. Tian’s lab operates at the intersection of systems biology, computational genomics, and molecular oncology, with ongoing projects in:

• Regulating gene expression through ETT for immunotherapy enhancement
• Modulating mRNA localization via 3'UTRs to influence cell signaling
• Developing next-generation CPAi compounds and delivery strategies
• Identifying cancer biomarkers predictive of CPAi response